Barack Obama - Canada Parliament · Canada. We could not. It’s true. It is true. And we do not take it for granted. That does not mean we don't have our differences. As I understand

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Barack Obama

Address to the Parliament of Canada

delivered 29 June 2016, House of Commons Chamber, Ottawa, Canada

[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio]

Thank you so much. Good evening. Bonjour.

Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Speaker, members of the House, members of the Senate,

distinguished guests, people of Canada -- thank you for this extraordinary welcome, which

temps me to just shut up and leave. Because it can't get any better than this. Obviously I'm

grateful for the warm welcome. I'm extraordinarily grateful for the close working relationship

and friendship with your outstanding Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and his extraordinary

wife, Sophie.

But I think it's fair to say that much of this greeting is simply a reflection of the extraordinary

alliance and deep friendship between Canadians and Americans.



Justin, thank you for your very kind words, and for the new energy and hope that your

leadership has brought to your nation as well as to the alliance. My time in office may be

nearing an end, but I know that Canada -- and the world -- will benefit from your leadership

for years to come.

So Canada was the very first country that I visited as President. It was in February. It was

colder. I was younger. Michelle now refers to my hair as the Great White North. And on that

visit, I strolled around the ByWard Market, tried a “beaver tail” -- which is better than it

sounds. And I was struck then, as I am again today, by the warmth of the Canadians. I could

not be more honored to be joining you in this historic hall -- this cathedral of freedom. And we

Americans can never say it enough -- we could not ask for a better friend or ally than

Canada. We could not. It’s true. It is true. And we do not take it for granted.

That does not mean we don't have our differences. As I understand it, one of the reasons the

Queen chose this site for Parliament was that it was a safe distance from America’s border.

And I admit, in the War of 1812, American troops did some damage to Toronto. I suspect that

there were some people up here who didn’t mind when the British returned the favor and

burned down the White House.

In more recent times, however, the only forces crossing our borders are the armies of tourists

and businesspeople and families who are shopping and doing business and visiting loved ones.

Our only battles take place inside the hockey rink. Even there, there’s an uneasy peace that is

maintained. As Americans, we, too, celebrate the life of Mr. Hockey himself, the late, great

Gordie Howe. Just as Canadians can salute American teams for winning more Stanley Cups in

the NHL.

Audience: Ooooh --

President Obama: I told you I should have stopped after the applause.



But in a world where too many borders are a source of conflict, our two countries are joined

by the longest border of peace on Earth. And what makes our relationship so unique is not

just proximity. It’s our enduring commitment to a set of values -- a spirit, alluded to by Justin,

that says no matter who we are, where we come from, what our last names are, what faith

we practice, here we can make of our lives what we will.

It was the grit of pioneers and prospectors who pushed West across a forbidding frontier. The

dreams of generations -- immigrants, refugees -- that we’ve welcomed to these shores. The

hope of run-away slaves who went north on an underground railroad. “Deep in our history of

struggle,” said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Canada was the north star… The freedom road

links us together.”

We’re bound as well by the service of those who’ve defended us -- at Flanders Field, the

beaches of Normandy, in the skies of the Balkans, and more recently, in the mountains of

Afghanistan, and training bases in Iraq. Their sacrifice is reflected in the silent rows of

Arlington and in the Peace Tower above us. Today we honor those who gave their lives for all

of us.

We’re linked together, as well, by the institutions that we’ve built to keep the peace: A United

Nations to advance our collective aspirations. A NATO alliance to ensure our security. NORAD,

where Americans and Canadians stand watch side by side -- and track Santa on Christmas

Eve.

We’re linked by a vast web of commerce that carries goods from one end of this continent to

another. And we're linked by the ties of friendship and family -- in my case, an outstanding

brother-in-law in Burlington. Had to give Burlington a shout out. Our relationship is so

remarkable precisely because it seems so unremarkable -- which is why Americans often are

surprised when our favorite American actor or singer turns out to be Canadian! The point is

we see ourselves in each other, and our lives are richer for it.



As President, I’ve deepened the ties between our countries. And because of the progress

we’ve made in recent years, I can stand before you and say that the enduring partnership

between Canada and the United States is as strong as it has ever been, and we are more

closely aligned than ever before.

And yet, we meet at a pivotal moment for our nations and for the globe. From this vibrant

capital, we can look upon a world that has benefited enormously from the international order

that we helped to build together’ but we can see that same order increasingly strained by the

accelerating forces of change. The world is by most every measure less violent than ever

before; but it remains riven by old divisions and fresh hatreds. The world is more connected

than ever before; but even as it spreads knowledge and the possibility of greater

understanding between peoples, it also empowers terrorists who spread hatred and death --

most recently in Orlando and Istanbul.

The world is more prosperous than ever before, but alongside globalization and technological

wonders we also see a rise in inequality and wage stagnation across the advanced economies,

leaving too many workers and communities fearful of diminishing prospects, not just for

themselves, but more importantly, for their children.

And in the face of such rising uncertainty, it is not enough to look at aggregate growth rates,

or stock prices, or the pace of digital innovation. If the benefits of globalization accrue only to

those at the very top, if our democracies seem incapable of assuring broad-based growth and

opportunity for everyone, then people will push back, out of anger or out of fear. And

politicians -- some sincere, and some entirely cynical -- will tap that anger and fear, harkening

back to bygone days of order and predictability and national glory, arguing that we must

rebuild walls and disengage from a chaotic world, or rid ourselves of the supposed ills brought

on by immigrants -- all in order to regain control of our lives.



We saw some of these currents at work this past week in the United Kingdom’s referendum to

leave the European Union. Despite some of the initial reactions, I am confident that the

process can be managed in a prudent, orderly way. I expect that our friends on both sides of

the Channel will develop a workable plan for how to move forward. And I’m equally confident

that the Transatlantic values that we all share as liberal, market-based democracies are

deeper and stronger than any single event.

But while the circumstances of Brexit may be unique to the United Kingdom, the frustrations

people felt are not. The short-term fallout of Brexit can be sensibly managed, but the long-

term trends of inequality and dislocation and the resulting social division -- those can't be

ignored. How we respond to the forces of globalization and technological change will

determine the durability of an international order that ensures security and prosperity for

future generations.

And fortunately, the partnership between the United States and Canada shows the path we

need to travel. For our history and our work together speak to a common set of values to

build on --proven values, values that your Prime Minister spoke of in his introduction -- values

of pluralism and tolerance, rule of law, openness; global engagement and commerce and

cooperation, coupled with equal opportunity and an investment in our people at home. As

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once said, “A country, after all, is not something you build as

the pharaohs build the pyramids, and then leave standing there to defy eternity. A country is

something that is built every day out of certain basic shared values.” What is true of countries

is true of the world. And that's what I want to talk about today -- how to strengthen our

institutions to advance these commitments in a rapidly changing world.

Let me start with our shared economic vision. In all we do, our commitment to opportunity for

all of our people has to be at the centerpiece of our work. We are so fortunate because both of

our countries are so well-positioned to succeed in the 21st century. Our two nations know

firsthand the awesome power of free markets and innovation.



Canadians help run some of Silicon Valley’s most innovative companies. Our students study at

each other’s world-class universities. We invest in research and development, and make

decisions based on science and evidence. And it works. It's what’s created these extraordinary

economies of ours.

But if the financial crisis and recent recession taught us anything, it’s that economies do

better when everyone has a chance to succeed. For a long time, it was thought that countries

had to choose between economic growth or economic inclusion. But it turns out that’s a false

choice. If a CEO makes more in a day than a typical employee makes in a year, that kind of

inequality is not just bad for morale in the company, it turns out it’s bad for the economy --

that worker is not a very good customer for business.

If a young man in Ohio can’t pay his student loans, or a young woman in Ontario can’t pay her

bills, that has ramifications for our economy. It tamps down the possibilities of growth. So we

need growth that is broad and that lifts everybody up -- including tax policies that do right by

working families, and robust safety nets for those who fall on hard times. As John Kenneth

Galbraith once said, “the common denominator of progress” is our people. It's not numbers,

it's not abstractions, it's how are our people doing.

Of course, many who share this progressive, inclusive vision can be heard now arguing that

investments in our people, protection for our workers, fair tax policies, these things are not

enough. For them, globalization is inherently rigged towards the top one percent, and

therefore, what’s needed is an end to trade agreements and various international institutions

and arrangements that integrate national economies.

And I understand that vision. I know why it's tempting. It seems as if we draw a line around

our borders that it will give us more control, particularly when the benefits of trade and

economic integration are sometimes hard to see or easy to take for granted, and very specific

dislocations are obvious and real.



There’s just one problem: Restricting trade or giving in to protectionism in this 21st century

economy will not work. It will not work. Even if we wanted to, we can't seal ourselves off

from the rest of the world. The day after Brexit, people looked around and said, oh! How is

this going to work? The drag that economic weakness in Europe and China and other countries

is having on our own economies right now speaks to the degree to which we depend -- our

economies depend, our jobs, our businesses depend -- on selling goods and services around

the world.

Very few of our domestic industries can sever what is now truly a global supply chain. And so,

for those of us who truly believe that our economies have to work for everybody, the answer

is not to try and pull back from our interconnected world; it is rather to engage with the rest

of the world, to shape the rules so they’re good for our workers and good for our businesses.

And the experience between our two nations points the way. The United States and Canada

have the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world -- and we are

stronger for it. It means a company in Quebec can create jobs in North Carolina. And a start-

up in Toronto can attract investment from Texas. Now, the problem is that some economies in

many of the fastest-growing regions of the world -- particularly the Asia Pacific region -- don’t

always abide by the same rules. They impose unfair tariffs; or they suppress workers’ rights;

or they maintain low environmental standards that make it hard for our businesses to

compete fairly.

With the Trans-Pacific Partnership, we have the ability to not only open up these markets to

U.S. and Canadian products and eliminate thousands of these unfair tariffs -- which, by the

way, we need to do because they’re already selling here under existing rules, but we're not

selling as much as we should over there -- but it also affords us the opportunity to increase

protections for workers and the environment, and promote human rights, including strong

prohibitions against human trafficking and child labor. And that way our workers are

competing on a level playing field, and our businesses are less prone to pursue a race to the

bottom.



And when combined with increased investments in our own people’s education, and skills and

training, and infrastructure and research and development and connectivity, then we can spur

the kind of sustained growth that makes all of us better off. All of us.

The point is we need to look forward, not look backward. And more trade and more people-to-

people ties can also help break down old divides. I thank Canada for its indispensable role in

hosting our negotiations with the Cuban government, and supporting our efforts to set aside

half a century of failed policies to begin a new chapter with the Cuban people. I know a lot of

Canadians like going to Cuba -- maybe because there haven’t been Americans crowding the

streets and the beaches. But that’s changing. And as more Americans engage with the Cuban

people, it will mean more economic opportunity and more hope for ordinary Cubans.

We also agree, us Americans and Canadians, that wealthy countries like ours cannot reach our

full potential while others remain mired in poverty. That, too, is not going to change in this

interconnected world; that if there is poverty and disease and conflict in other parts of the

world, it spills over, as much as we’d like to pretend that we can block it out.

So, with our commitment to new Sustainable Development Goals, we have the chance to end

the outrage of extreme poverty. We can bring more electricity to Africa, so that students can

study at night and businesses can stay open. We can banish the scourge of malaria and Zika.

We can realize our goal of the first AIDS-free generation. We can do that. It's within our

grasp. And we can help those who are working to replace corruption with transparent,

accountable institutions that serve their people.

As leaders in global development, the United States and Canada understand that development

is not charity -- it’s an investment in our future prosperity. Because not only do such

investments and policies help poor countries, they’re going to create billions of customers for

U.S. and Canadian products, and they’ll make less likely the spread of deadly epidemics to our

shores, and they’ll stabilize parts of the word that threaten the security of our people.



In fact, both the United States and Canada believe our own security -- and not just prosperity

-- is enhanced when we stand up for the rights of all nations and peoples to live in security

and peace. and even as there are times when unilateral action is necessary to defend our

people, we believe that in a world where wars between great powers are far less likely but

transnational threats like terrorism know no boundaries, our security is best advanced when

nations work together. We believe that disputes that do arise between nations should be,

wherever possible, resolved peacefully, with diplomacy; that international organizations

should be supported; that multilateralism is not a dirty word.

And certainly, we’re more secure when we stand united against terrorist networks and

ideologies that have reached to the very doorstep of this hall. We honor all those taken from

us by violent extremists, including Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall. With Canada’s

additional contributions, including training Iraqi forces, our coalition is on the offensive across

Iraq, across Syria. And we will destroy the terrorist group ISIL. We will destroy them.

We’ll continue helping local forces and sharing intelligence, from Afghanistan to the

Philippines, so that we're pushing back comprehensively against terrorist networks. And in

contrast to the hatred and the nihilism of terrorists, we’ll work with partners around the world,

including, particularly, Muslim communities, to offer a better vision and a path of

development, and opportunity, and tolerance. Because they are, and must be, our partners in

this effort.

Meanwhile, when nations violate international rules and norms -- such as Russia’s aggression

against Ukraine -- the United States and Canada stand united, along with our allies, in

defense of our collective security. Doing so requires a range of tools, like economic sanctions,

but it also requires that we keep our forces ready for 21st century missions, and invest in new

capabilities. As your ally and as your friend, let me say that we’ll be more secure when every

NATO member, including Canada, contributes its full share to our common security. Because

the Canadian armed forces are really good -- and if I can borrow a phrase, the world needs

more Canada. NATO needs more Canada. We need you. We need you.



Just as we join together in our common defense, so must we work together diplomatically,

particularly to avert war. Diplomacy results are rarely quick, but it turns out even the most

intractable conflicts can be resolved. Here in our own hemisphere, just in the last few weeks,

after half a century of war, Colombia is poised to achieve an historic peace. And the nations

of North America will be an important partner to Colombia going forward, including working to

remove landmines.

Around the world, Canadian and American diplomats working together can make a difference.

Even in Syria, where the agony and the suffering of the Syrian people tears at our hearts, our

two nations continue to be leaders in humanitarian aid to the Syrian people. And although a

true resolution of this conflict so far has eluded us, we know that the only solution to this civil

war is a political solution, so that the Syrian people can reclaim their country and live in

peace. And Canadians and Americans are going to work as hard as we can to make that

happen. I should add that here in the nation of Lester Pearson, we reaffirm our commitment

to keep strengthening the peacekeeping that saves lives around the world.

There is one threat, however, that we cannot solve militarily, nor can we solve alone -- and

that is the threat of climate change. Now, climate change is no longer an abstraction. It's not

an issue we can put off for the future. It is happening now. It is happening here, in our own

countries. The United States and Canada are both Arctic nations, and last year, when I

became the first U.S. President to visit the Arctic, I could see the effects myself. Glaciers --

like Canada’s Athabasca Glacier -- are melting at alarming rates. Tundra is burning.

Permafrost is thawing. This is not a conspiracy. It's happening. Within a generation, Arctic sea

ice may all but disappear in the summer.

And so skeptics and cynics can insist on denying what’s right in front of our eyes. But the

Alaska Natives that I met, whose ancestral villages are sliding into the sea -- they don't have

that luxury. They know climate change is real. They know it is not a hoax.



And from Bangladesh to the Pacific islands, rising seas are swallowing land and forcing people

from their homes. Around the world, stronger storms and more intense droughts will create

humanitarian crises and risk more conflict. This is not just a moral issue, not just a economic

issue, it is also an urgent matter of our national security.

And for too long, we’ve heard that confronting climate change means destroying our own

economies. But let me just say, carbon emissions in the United States are back to where they

were two decades ago, even as we’ve grown our economy dramatically over the same period.

Alberta, the oil country of Canada, is working hard to reduce emissions while still promoting

growth.

So if Canada can do it, and the United States can do it, the whole world can unleash economic

growth and protect our planet. We can do this. We can do it. We can do this. We can help

lead the world to meet this threat.

Already, together in Paris, we achieved the most ambitious agreement in history to fight

climate change. Now let’s bring it into force this year. With our agreement with Mexico that

we announced today, let’s generate half the electricity on this continent from clean energy

sources within a decade. That's achievable. Let’s partner in the Arctic to help give its people

the opportunity they deserve, while conserving the only home they know. And building on the

idea that began in Montreal three decades ago, let’s finally phase down dangerous HFC

greenhouse gases. This is the only planet we’ve got. And this may be the last shot we’ve got

to save it. And America and Canada are going to need to lead the way. We're going to have

to lead the way.

Just as we are joined in our commitment to protecting the planet, we are also joined in our

commitment to the dignity of every human being. We believe in the right of all people to

participate in society. We believe in the right of all people to be treated equally, to have an

equal shot at success. That is in our DNA, the basic premise of our democracies.



I think we can all agree that our democracies are far from perfect. They can be messy, and

they can be slow, and they can leave all sides of a debate unsatisfied. Justin is just getting

started. So in case you hadn't figured that out, that's where this gray hair comes from. But

more than any other system of government, democracy allows our most precious rights to

find their fullest expression, enabling us, through the hard, painstaking work of citizenship, to

continually make our countries better. To solve new challenges. To right past wrongs.

And, Prime Minister, what a powerful message of reconciliation it was -- here and around the

world -- when your government pledged a new relationship with Canada’s First Nations.

Democracy is not easy. It’s hard. Living up to our ideals can be difficult even in the best of

times. And it can be harder when the future seems uncertain, or when, in response to

legitimate fears and frustrations, there are those who offer a politics of “us” versus “them,” a

politics that scapegoats others -- the immigrant, the refugee, someone who seems different

than us. We have to call this mentality what it is -- a threat to the values that we profess, the

values we seek to defend.

It’s because we respect all people that the world looks to us as an example. The colors of the

rainbow flag have flown on Parliament Hill. They have lit up the White House. That is a

testament to our progress, but also the work that remains to ensure true equality for our

fellow citizens who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

Our Muslim friends and neighbors who run businesses, and serve in our governments and in

our armed forces, and are friends with our children, play on our sports teams -- we've got to

stand up against the slander and the hate leveled against those who look or worship

differently. That's our obligation. That's who we are. That's what makes America special.

That's what makes Canada special. Here. Here in Canada.

Here in Canada, a woman has already risen to the highest office in the land.



In America, for the first time, a woman is the presumptive nominee of a major party and

perhaps President. I have a bias on these issues but our work won’t be finished until all

women in our country are truly equal -- paid equally, treated equally, given the same

opportunities as men, when our girls have the same opportunities as our boys. That's who we

need to be.

And let me say this -- because I don't feel particularly politically correct on this issue -- I don't

believe that these are American values or Canadian values or Western values. I believe, and

Justin believes, and I hope all of you believe, these are universal values. And we must be bold

in their defense, at home and around the world. And not shy away from speaking up on

behalf of these values of pluralism and tolerance and equality.

I fear sometimes that we are timid in defense of these values. That’s why I will continue to

stand up for those inalienable rights, here in our own hemisphere -- in places like Cuba and

Venezuela -- but also in more distant lands. For the rights of citizens in civil society to speak

their mind and work for change. For the right of journalists to report the truth. For the right of

people of all faiths to practice their religion freely. Those things are hard, but they’re right.

They’re not always convenient, but they’re true.

In the end, it is this respect for the dignity of all people, especially the most vulnerable among

us, that perhaps more than anything else binds our two countries together. Being Canadian,

being American is not about what we look like or where our families came from. It is about

our commitment to a common creed. And that’s why, together, we must not waver in

embracing our values, our best selves. And that includes our history as a nation of

immigrants, and we must continue to welcome people from around the world.

The vibrancy of our economies are enhanced by the addition of new, striving immigrants. But

this is not just a matter of economics. When refugees escape barrel bombs and torture, and

migrants cross deserts and seas seeking a better life, we cannot simply look the other way.

We certainly can't label as possible terrorists vulnerable people who are fleeing terrorists.



We can insist that the process is orderly. We can insist that our security is preserved. Borders

mean something. But in moments like this, we are called upon to see ourselves in others,

because we were all once strangers. If you weren't a stranger, your grandparents were

strangers. Your great-grandparents were strangers. They didn’t all have their papers ready.

They fumbled with language faced discrimination, had cultural norms that didn’t fit. At some

point, somewhere, your family was an outsider. So the mothers, the fathers, the children we

see today -- they’re us. We can’t forsake them.

So, as Americans and Canadians, we will continue to welcome refugees, and we can ensure

that we're doing so in a way that maintains our security. We can and we will do both. We can

and we will do both.

We’re increasing our support to Central America, so that fewer families and children attempt

the dangerous journey north. This fall at the United Nations, we’ll host a global summit on

refugees, because in the face of this crisis, more nations need to step up and meet our basic

obligations to our fellow human beings. And it will be difficult, and budgets are tight, and

there are legitimate issues and not everybody is going to be helped. But we can try. People of

goodwill and compassion show us the way.

Greek islanders pulling families to shore. And Germans handing out sweets to migrants at

railway stations. A synagogue in Virginia inviting Syrian refugees to dinner. And here, in

Canada, the world has been inspired as Canadians across this country have opened up their

hearts and their homes. And we’ve watched citizens knitting tuques to keep refugees warm in

the winter. And we’ve seen your Prime Minister welcome new arrivals at the airport, and

extend the hand of friendship and say, “You’re safe at home now.”

And we see the refugees who feel that they have a special duty to give back, and seize the

opportunities of a new life.



Like the girl who fled Afghanistan by donkey and camel and jet plane, and who remembers

being greeted in this country by helping hands and the sound of robins singing. And today,

she serves in this chamber, and in the cabinet, because Canada is her home.

A country “is not something you build as the pharaohs built the pyramids…a country is

something that is built every day out of certain basic shared values.” How true that is. How

blessed we are to have had people before us, day by day, brick by brick, build these

extraordinary countries of ours. How fortunate, how privileged we are to have the opportunity

to now, ourselves, build this world anew. What a blessing. And as we go forward together, on

that freedom road, let’s stay true to the values that make us who we are -- Canadians and

Americans, allies and friends, now and forever.

Thank you very much. Merci beaucoup. Thank you.

Documents

Barack Obama - Canada Parliament · Canada. We could not. It’s true. It is true. And we do not take it for granted. That does not mean we don't have our differences. As I understand